Really Nice Eyes
by Lily-Finn178
Summary: AU Chlerek/ "New Girl, It's been a week. Stop staring at me." Her head jerked up, eyes flying across the room to the solitary desk by the window. Where Derek Souza’s captivating green eyes were glaring at her.
1. Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Disclaimer: Not mine....The quote that this story is based on came from The Awakening.

My first Darkest Powers multi-fic! Enjoy!

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Really Nice Eyes

Chapter 1

Can't Take My Eyes Off You

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**He was the kind of guy that, at that age myself, I might have stolen a glance across the room at and thought he was kind of cute, with really nice eyes. **

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It was rude to stare.

Chloe Saunders knew this fact of life. Had felt the intense gazes on her when she stuttered. Had hated when someone's eyes fell upon her. Had never felt the need to bestow that embarrassment on someone else, and thus, had never stared at anyone in her entire fifteen years of life.

Until now.

He was, by far, the least attractive boy in Lyle High School. He was so repulsive that people steered clear of him in the lunch line. People parted when he walked down the hallway and not in a good way. Chloe had just been enrolled in the school two weeks before, and even she knew that no one got close to Derek Souza.

The only exception to that unspoken rule was Simon Bae. Other than the fact that Simon was, unlike Derek, the friendliest guy in the school, the two were brothers. Chloe, upon learning about their relationship, had been puzzled until someone explained to her how Derek had been adopted. After figuring out that mystery, she hadn't really paid attention to Derek. Like everyone else, she preferred to put thoughts of him on the backburner and focus on more important things.

But then she was given an assignment for one of her classes, and instead of doing that, she'd spent the weekend with her Aunt Lauren. Monday morning had arrived, and Chloe hadn't done any research for her assignment. So, while her first choice would be to spend lunch getting to know her new friends, her grade demanded that she go to the library.

So, it was about a week ago…

Nobody really ventured to the school's library. She didn't know whether it was because of modern technology or if the ancient librarian was just too creepy, but students tended to stay clear of that part of the building. Chloe was more of a movie person herself, so she didn't have much use for books. And judging from the heavy layers of dust on the shelves, neither did anyone else.

It took Chloe longer than she expected to find the book she needed, as she refused to ask for help from the old lady behind the counter who glared at her whenever she walked near. At last, she found the book and thanked whatever divine being above that she could finally get out of there. The silent desertedness of the library reminded her of a horror film and the killer was about to strike. Didn't killers always murder in abandoned places? So no one was around to hear the screams. Just thinking about it brought chills crawling down her spine.

The only problem she encountered was that book she needed was placed on a higher shelf. Chloe considered herself of an average height, but the library shelving system seemed to be based on a scale of a giant. A quick peek around the aisle and the librarian was staring blankly at the wall. Coast was clear.

She lifted her leg to place one foot on the edge of the second to last shelf. Once she knew there was a firm and steady surface underneath her foot, she reached up and lifted herself so that her eyes were level with the book. Carefully, she held on tighter with one hand as she slowly pulled the book out from the shelf with her other hand. Finally, book in hand, she moved her right foot to step back down.

She'd misjudged how much of her weight the bottom shelf could take. Because in the next second, there was a terrible creaking noise and the wooden board gave out beneath her. A squeak escaped her mouth and her fingers scrambled to hold onto the top shelf. Instead, she ended up pulling it out of its original placement until it tipped over and she fell to the ground. Books from the shelf toppled after her, some knocking her on the head on their way down. Luckily, the shelf fell away from her, landing only inches from her feet.

Her heart was pounding in her chest as the adrenaline brought by fear surged through her. As she realized that she was safe and not, in fact, bodily harmed in any way, relief flooded over her, causing her shoulders to sag. Her back collapsed against the book shelf behind her, and she closed her eyes as she let her erratic breathing calm. That had been scary.

"You dropped something," a deep voice announced after all the commotion.

Eyes had snapped open at the remark, looking up to met the looming figure of Derek Souza.

Surprise paralyzed Chloe, keeping her from moving and preventing her mouth from forming words. It was the first time that she'd seen Derek up close. Maybe it was due to her being sprawled on the floor, but he seemed much taller than she had originally thought. He looked down at her with an expression of indifference, as if he was used to seeing girls falling off of book cases.

"Y-You were there the w-whole time?" she wanted to slap herself at her stutter. With him standing over her like that, she was letting intimidation get the best of her. But how could she stop feeling like that when his face looked as hideous as it did and she'd heard rumors that he killed kittens in his spare time?

He nodded in reply. Anger made Chloe forget her repulsion and fear for a moment. He'd been there the whole time and hadn't thought to _help_? What kind of person did that? She could've seriously hurt herself, and he didn't think it worth his time to help! Her fingers closed into a fist, and suddenly, there was a sharp pain in her finger.

She looked down at her hand. The nail of her middle finger had broken, leaving a half moon of blood to start pooling where it had ripped off. It stung, to say the least. Chloe sucked in a quick breath at the stinging.

"Oh, no. You broke a nail," Derek Souza commented dryly.

The comment was unexpected. And certainly rude. She should have lashed out at him, drilled into him with a good ol' verbal beating, provided she didn't ruin it by stuttering. Instead, her utter humiliation, the adrenaline from falling, and his sarcastic remark all rolled together and made Chloe burst into laughter.

She made the mistake of looking into his face, seeing his eyebrow raised and staring at her with a look that was half incredulous, half hesitant. Probably worried that she had escaped from some mental facility. Chloe didn't blame him--she'd think the same thing had she been in his position. More laughter bubbled up from her throat as her vivid imagination conjured a picture of her in a straight jacket.

Minutes passed with Chloe giggling on the floor and Derek Souza warily eying her from his towering stance. Then, wordlessly, he knelt down on the floor, picking up the fallen shelf. Observing it from a few different angles, he stood up and continued to observe the book case. Finally, he set the shelf in its original place, making sure it was secure. He reached down once more and Chloe, who had stopped laughing as she watched Derek, felt her breath catch. Was he going to help her put all the fallen books back on the shelf?

The answer to that was a resolute 'no'. Derek reached down to grab his backpack. He pulled out a book--one of those hefty, old-looking things that would take someone like Chloe months to read--and set it on the shelf he had fixed. After zipping up his backpack, he threw it over his shoulder and turned to look at Chloe directly in the face.

"Pick up your mess." And then he left.

Chloe was left speechless, but not because of the abruptness of his departure. Nor was it because of his rude behavior and his unwillingness to help someone so obviously in need of help. No, Chloe had been left stuttering because she had looked into Derek Souza's eyes.

Even though he'd been glowering down at her, she couldn't miss the fascinating green of his irises. A bright, unmistakable green that burned into her mind and stayed there minutes after he'd left. Reminded her of times when her mother was alive and they'd go to the beach, picking up the pieces of green glass with the water-smoothed edges. It didn't seem right, for someone such as him to have such appealing eyes, and at the same time, it was a perfect contrast to his dark looks and bad manners.

In a daze, she'd done as he said, picking up the books and replacing them on the shelf. And just in time, too, before the old librarian peeked her head around the book case to see what the commotion had been about. Then, she'd returned to lunch, completing forgetting to grab the book she'd needed for her report. The only thing on her mind had been those green, green eyes and how much she'd like to see them again.

Funny how easy it was for her to find him in a crowd now. Before, she'd only seen him walking around school with his brother and had easily dismissed him. Now, she could single out his tall, dark figure anywhere. She'd never noticed how many times in a day she passed him in the hallway.

He was in her English class before lunch. She thought this strange, as he was, according to what she'd heard, in the grade before hers. Possibly he wasn't the sharpest crayon in the box, but when she remembered the size of that book he was carrying around, it just didn't seem to add up right. Just another mystery that made up Derek Souza. That, along with those intense green eyes, made her want to know more.

And so, there she was a week later. Sitting in her English class and staring at the back of Derek Souza's head. Luckily, the seating chart wasn't arranged alphabetically, and the students could sit wherever they wanted. Chloe, after a week, had noted that Derek liked picking the seat closest to the window, farthest from everybody else. From her seat across the room, she could lean back just so and stare at him, waiting for the moment where he finally turned around and granted her with another glimpse of those eyes.

"Chloe?" The teacher's voice made her jump in her seat, her face heating as she hoped no one realized just who she was staring at. "Can you run these papers down to the main office, please?"

Automatically, she said yes and grabbed the papers. Then, once she was in the hall, she realized, even after attending the school for two weeks, she didn't really have any clue where the main office was. Probably towards the front of the school. Following her gut, she found the office, dropped off the papers, and headed back to her classroom.

When she returned, there was something on her desk. Small, folded into a square, and white. A note. Someone had left a note on her desk. Glancing around the room, she tried to figure out who it might be. People were talking to each other, getting up to walk around the room. They'd been given an assignment to work on, with partners or groups if they wanted to. Anyone could've gotten up and dropped the note on her desk.

Sitting down, she carefully picked up the note. It was folded crisply, corners meeting together, nothing out of line about it. Unfolding it, she found it to be short, as well. Short, to the point. Her eyes narrowed as she read its contents.

_New Girl,_

_It's been a week. Stop staring at me. _

Her head jerked up, eyes flying across the room to the solitary desk by the window. Where Derek Souza's captivating green eyes were glaring at her.

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Authoress's Notes: Yay! Chapter 1 of my first DP multi-fic! Let's all do a happy dance! I've already planned this whole thing out, and I've figured that it'll be 8 chapters, unless I decide to add more or have to split up some chapters. But, as of right now, 8 chapters it is. Short and sweet! Also, notice that this is an AU fic, meaning that I've completely changed the setting from the DP universe to a normal, every day one: high school! Meaning that, sorry, there will be no supernatural activities going on. They're just normal teens with normal problems. Although I might reference their supernatural-ness in a later chapter. But you'll just have to see that when I post it! XD


	2. An Eye for an Eye

Really Nice Eyes

Chapter 2

An Eye for an Eye

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Rachelle Rogers liked to think that lunch was a relatively peaceful time. Just ignore the loud freshmen and the idiots throwing coleslaw as though it were rice at a wedding. And then, lunch was perfect. A time to eat and relax from boring classes and even more boring teachers. A laid-back time to sit and chat with friends over the horrors of high school.

So, when new girl Chloe Saunders stormed over to their lunch table and slammed down her tray, Rae just about had a heart attack. Lord knows she jumped nearly ten feet in the air, flinging her fork so that a rainfall of cafeteria spaghetti landed on the table next to theirs. Shrugging her shoulders at the nasty insults yelled at her by the pasta-covered habitants of the table, Rae turned to the fuming girl sitting across from her.

"All right. What's her name and how do you want me to beat her up?" Rae shoved her lunch tray aside, placing her elbows on the table and punching her fist into the opposite hand.

"_His_ name is Derek Souza."

"Damn. Here I was hoping it was Tori Enright." Rae huffed, then, fully processing the name given to her, looked sharply at Chloe. "Wait a minute, back up here! Did you just say _Derek Souza_?"

Chloe nodded, eyes shifting somewhere over her new friend's shoulder. Discreetly, Rae peeked and saw the main focus of their discussion as he sat down at a table with his brother. Turning back to face Chloe, Rae took one look at her furious gaze and asked, "What happened? Did he touch you?"

"What? No!"

"Hurt you?"

Chloe shook her head vehemently. "That's not--"

"Did he harass you in any way?"

"Not exactly…" And then Chloe proceeded to explain everything. About the library, then the mishap with the book shelf and falling on her butt, and the exchange with Derek Souza. Up until the part where she pulled out the white, rectangular note that she'd found on her desk not even twenty minutes before. As Rae read the note, Chloe shrugged, stabbing her plastic fork into the plate of spaghetti before taking a bite. "It's not like I was trying to creep him out or anything. I just thought that he had really nice eyes."

"Seriously?" Rae's tone was one of utter disbelief.

"Yeah," Chloe insisted. "You didn't see them, Rae. They were just so…so…"

"Nice?" Rae suggested.

"Green," corrected Chloe.

Rae curled a strand of hair around her finger, sneaking another glance at the Souza boy. "Hmm…I heard he can shoot laser beams out of his eyes."

If that were the case, Chloe would have already been fried in the classroom when he settled his deadly glare on her. "That's ridiculous." Still… "What else have you heard about him?" _Just want to see if I should be worried about any psychopathic tendencies_, her mind reasoned. _I am _not _interested in finding out more about him. Not after that note._

"Not much, actually. Other than the rumors, I mean. Simon's an open book, but when it comes to his brother…" Chloe could see that. A lot of mystery surrounded Derek, so people would naturally invent stories.

Leaning forward, Rae whispered, like all this information was top secret classified business. "He kills kittens."

"I heard that one already, but do you think he really…?" She couldn't finish the question.

"Maybe. Did you see how big he is?"

With that, Rae rattled off more rumors. Some were far-out-there unbelievable (he was brainwashed by aliens or the love child of Bigfoot and a Yeti). Others were very debatable (he stole candy from a baby and threw dogs out of moving vehicles). But there were many more that sounded scarily true.

"He broke someone's back?" Chloe's voice had risen a bit a the end, prompting Rae to shush her, making sure that no one had heard them.

"Derek and Simon moved here about three months before you did. No one knows why exactly, but some say it's because at their old school, Derek beat some guy to a bloody pulp. Now the guy can't walk."

"But _why _would he do something like that?" It didn't make sense to Chloe at all. Sure, he was a little on the big side and a lot more on the rude side, but Chloe had this odd feeling that he wouldn't go and paralyze some kid just for the kicks.

Rae shook her head that she didn't know. "Drugs, possibly? I heard he had this whole Columbian cartel thing going on."

"You think he's on drugs?"

"Well, he does have that seedy-character look…" Rae commented slowly, chills crawling down her spine as she recalled Derek's looks. "Maybe that's why he's in your English class. Drugs killed his brain."

Chloe didn't voice her opinion on the matter. The thick book of his said otherwise. She hadn't told Rae, but she'd gone back to the library a couple days after the incident (she still had needed that book for her report). She'd looked at that book more closely. Advanced Edition, Trigonometry. Hardly the stuff a druggie would be reading. Unless he did the calculus in his head as he dealt drugs. "He's in the same grade as you, right?"

"Yeah, but we're not in any of the same classes. Probably because his brain is so wrecked from drugs. He must be in all the remedial classes." Rae's eyes brightened. "We could look at his permanent record, separate truth from fact. I have connections in the main office."

The thought intrigued Chloe. For a second. "No. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble." Besides, what if all those things people said about him--other than the stuff about aliens and Bigfoot--were true?

They sat in silence, until Chloe picked up the note again. "This note makes me seem l-like--"

"A stalker?"

"Exactly." Chloe sighed. "I just really wanted to see his eyes again. Without him thinking that I'm crazy." _Too late for that_, a little voice told her as she remembered her maniac-like laughing after the unfateful fall.

"Then tell him you're not crazy," Rae offered. "You have to do something about this. You can't just let him get away with it."

"Then what do I do?"

"Confront him. Tell him what a jerk he is, and set him straight." At the horror-stricken expression on Chloe's baby-face, Rae let out an impatient breath. "Look. All you have to do is walk up to him, tell him off, then waltz away. Pretend it's like one of those movies you're always talking about."

"I-I-I can't do that." Just the mention of standing up to Derek Souza, and she was already stuttering. She could only imagine how much she'd freak out if she were to actually do what Rae suggested.

"Well, if you can't get the words out of your mouth," Rae reached over and plucked the note out of Chloe's hands. "Then give Derek Souza a taste of his own medicine."

Chloe watched as Rae waved the note in her face. "You mean…write him a note back?"

"What else would I be suggesting?"

She stared at the note again. The words stood out on the pristine white of the paper. _New Girl, It's been a week. Stop staring at me._ Glaring at her, just as fierce and intense as when Derek had turned his glare on her.

"It's just like a script, Chloe. Pretend you're writing a script for a movie, where a girl is unjustly bullied by a big, hulking jerk."

New Girl. Been a week. Stop staring.

"He didn't even sign his name." The rudeness of the note aggravated her. He almost outright called her a stalker and didn't even have the decency to sign his own name?

"That's right, Chloe. Show him how a letter is _properly_ written." Rae was holding out a piece of blank loose-leaf paper.

Chloe grabbed a pen.

* * *

Simon Bae whistled under his breath as the small blond girl waltzed away. He looked over at his brother, who was staring down at the folded piece of paper that had been shoved into his hand by aforementioned blond.

"What was that about?" Simon asked, his interest piqued. It was the end of the day, and they'd been standing at Derek's locker as he grabbed all his heavy Advanced Placement textbooks. Their house was only a couple blocks away, so they opted for walking to and from school. Neither of them had their licenses yet, and it was a much better option than taking the bus.

So, it was just like any other normal day. Derek was absorbed in stacking his humongous books in his backpack. Simon was saying his goodbyes to all his friends, which meant nearly everyone who passed him in the hallway. Then, from out of nowhere, some pixie-like blond with big blue eyes marched straight up to Derek. Simon had been distracted from smiling at a girl across the hall, his attention solely fixed on his brother. The girl shoved something into Derek's hand, looked up into his eyes, then ducked her head down again and marched off. Leaving Derek to stare at his hand with a scowl.

"Nothing." Typical of Derek, to not divulge any interesting information. He just crumbled up the paper and shoved it in his pocket, where Simon knew he'd probably take it out later that night and throw it in a trash can without even reading it first.

"When a girl walks up to you, her face all serious like that, Derek, it's not nothing." Simon pointed out. "That's something."

"Just some stupid girl." Simon didn't think so. Aside from the fact that she looked a bit peeved at Derek, she seemed nice enough. He wondered who she was…

Derek slammed his locker door shut, snapping Simon out of his thoughts. Pulling on his backpack, he started walking down the nearly empty hallway towards the front of the school. Simon followed after him, running a bit to catch up to his brother's quick stride. "Aren't you at least going to read it?"

"No." Yep. Just as Simon had predicted.

"Then can I--"

"No." Yeah, Simon had figured as much.

They continued on, dropping the topic and moving on to what had happened in school that day. When they had almost reached the school's main doors, Derek suddenly came to a stop, muttering an oath.

"What is it?"

"I forgot a book." He waved at Simon. "Go on. I'll catch up." Then he turned on his heel and headed back in the direction of his locker. Simon did as Derek had said and continued his way out of the building. Like Derek said, he'd catch up.

Derek, on other hand, had turned around the corner and started walking in the opposite direction of his locker. He knew Simon would most likely believe him and head home, but just in case, he didn't want Simon to find him should the other boy get it in his head to follow Derek.

Finally, he came to a halt next to his science classroom. The hallway it was situated in was already deserted, everyone having gone home for the day. But, just to be sure, Derek looked up and down the hall several times before digging in his pocket for the crumbled piece of paper. Reading it was a bit difficult with all the crinkles, but he managed to get the gist of the note.

_Dear Derek Souza,_

_I'm sorry if I have caused any inconvenience for you in this past week. The reason why I was staring at you was because I thought there may be something about you that I liked. But really, I just found that you're a big jerk._

_Sincerely,_

_Chloe Saunders_

_P.S. Normal people sign their names on notes. _

He crushed it again as he pushed it back into his pocket.

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Authoress's Notes: Yay, chapter 2! I was on a roll today. Instead of focusing on most of my classes today, I wrote this. Then, instead of doing my homework when I came home, I typed it all up. I was just really motivated to write this today. There was a part near the beginning where I thought I was blocked, but then I got past it and the words just all came to me. I love when that happens.

I realized this is the first time I've written from the perspective of anyone other than Chloe or Derek. So, please don't hurt me if Rae or Simon seem OOC. I tried my best with them, as it was my first time writing scenes where they had a definite role. But I fear they may not be up to par. I should use that as an excuse to go reread The Summoning and The Awakening...Anyways, if anyone noticed any problems with their characters, I'd appreciate it if you told me or gave me some advice on what I could do so next time, I'll write their characters better.

Thank you so much to all who reviewed! Here's your new chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it!


	3. Hypnotized By Your Eyes

Really Nice Eyes

Chapter 3

Hypnotized By Your Eyes

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There was no response from Derek on Monday. Or on Tuesday. By lunch on Wednesday, she was in a state of near panic, jumping at every little thing around her.

"Girl, relax." Rae chided when Chloe ducked as some idiot across the cafeteria popped a lunch bag. The poor girl probably thought it noise was a gun shot. "If he had wanted to kill you over something so silly as that note, he would've done it by now."

"Thanks for that reassurance, Rae," Chloe muttered, picking at her plate with her plastic fork.

True, Derek hadn't confronted her all week. That didn't keep Chloe from peeking around corners, waiting for him to pop up and break her all her limbs. Rae tried telling her that he'd most likely forgot all about the note, or had taken his fury out on some small, helpless animal. Either way, the older girl reasoned, Chloe was safe.

_For the time being_, that little voice in her head murmured. Half of Chloe was tempted to take Rae up on her offer of looking at Derek's permanent record. She knew it was morally wrong, but she hated coming to school every day, wondering if that was the day she'd die. All she wanted was to know if there was something about Derek she actually _should _fear.

At that thought, the rational part of her brain chuckled. _You're safe, you baby_, it said._ You're wasting your time worrying over all of this. He's not going to come after you._

That only served to turn Chloe's fear into frustration. Why didn't he do anything? Surely he cared if someone called him a jerk. Wasn't he going to stand up for himself?

Unless, she figured, he really doesn't care what you think about him. Eyes narrowing and lips frowning, Chloe continued to stab at her lunch. So, Derek didn't care. Why did she? Just because he probably thought her not worth his time didn't mean she had to keep being so frightened of him. So what if he thought her note too stupid to respond to? She didn't think too highly of him either. Maybe Rae was right. Derek didn't want anything to do with her, so she shouldn't want anything to do with him. She should just forget about him. He'd obviously forgotten all about her.

Chloe had no idea why, but it irked her to imagine Derek Souza just throwing her note away and walking along on his not-so-merry way. Why should he get to dismiss her so easily like that? Well, two could play at his little game of Not Caring. From that moment onward, she silently promised that no matter what happened, she would not give another thought to the Souza boy.

_Right_, her little mind-voice drawled. _You'll get right on that, won't you? As soon as you can erase the image of his eyes from your head._

* * *

The next day was a new day for Chloe. Walking through the halls with a renewed vigor, she managed not to think about Derek Souza…much. At least she no longer waited five minutes before turning a corner, positive he wasn't waiting to shank her.

Her plan pretty much backfired, however, when she walked into her English classroom. Usually, her attention would automatically shift over to the desk next to the window, to see if Derek was watching as she entered the room (and usually, he never was). Today, she tried very, very hard to not look in his direction. And she failed.

It wasn't because of Derek, though. No, what caught Chloe's attention was the young Korean male standing next to the desk across the room. Simon Bae, Derek's brother and probably the most popular guy in all of Lyle High, was visiting her English class. She wasn't the only one who noticed his presence, she noted as around the room, girls were glaring at Derek for stealing away his brother's focus.

_Well, it doesn't concern you, so you shouldn't care_, that voice nagged at the back of her mind, reminding her about the vow she'd made only the day before. Determined, Chloe set her textbook on her desk and sat down, pointedly looking away from the desk.

The bell rang, and Chloe knew Simon was leaving when all the girls in the classroom followed him with their hawk eyes as he headed towards the door. She let out a quick breath, thinking that maybe class could get started now that the students wouldn't be so distracted--

She made the mistake of looking up from her desk. Simon Bae was walking past her, smiling down as she paused in opening up her textbook. Chloe had never personally talked to the blond boy, but she knew from everyone else she talked to that he was an exceptionally friendly guy. Seemed odd to her that his brother would be a downright jerk.

Since she was such a nice person, Chloe smiled back, making sure that her smile was bright and not at all creepy. It would serve Derek right to look over at that moment and see that she was _not_ some weird stalker chick.

To her amazement, Simon's grin broadened and he gave her a quick wink before leaving the room. The smile on her face froze in place. Had Simon Bae just winked at her? Checking the immediate glares sent to her by her fellow female classmates, she realized that, yes, Simon Bae winked at her.

What was that all about? She puzzled over the oddity of that wink. Simon Bae had never before spoken to her. Probably, he'd never known she'd existed. Why did he all of a sudden wink at her?

His just being friendly was the most logical argument her brain could call up. That was it, doubtless. He smiled at her, she smiled at him. They were both being very pleasant towards each other. So, he winked at her. Problem solved.

Still…Chloe snuck a glimpse over at the dark-haired boy across the room before she remembered her promise and looked away again. How had she caught Simon's attention so effortlessly? Surely he didn't know anything about that note she'd given his brother. But what if Derek had told Simon about the note? What if they laughed over it like the good friends that they supposedly were?

What if Simon hadn't winked at her because he was being nice, but only for the reason that he knew her by her note and was making fun of her?

That couldn't be it, though, she halfheartedly hoped. She remembered that his eyes had been kind when he smiled at her. There'd been nothing malicious or mocking in his wink. At least, she wished there had been nothing like that. His eyes, brown and almond shaped, had been warm and welcoming. So unlike the cold green glass of--

"Chloe? Are you paying attention?" The new voice caused Chloe to jump in her seat.

Face turning a brilliant red as her classmates chuckled around her, Chloe pasted on a small smile and nodded at the teacher that she was listening. The class returned to the lesson at hand, leaving Chloe to slump back in her seat, relieved everyone's attention wasn't on her anymore.

Something dark moved in the corner of her eye. Turning slightly, Chloe found herself meeting the green gaze of Derek Souza. It was the first time he'd acknowledged her presence that week, and when he did, he made sure he had her full concentration before he rolled his eyes. Then he went back to ignoring her existence.

Great, now he probably thought Chloe was some kind of air-headed blond who was excited over something so simple as Simon Bae winking at her. Hitching her shoulders up defiantly, even though he wasn't looking at her, Chloe decided that it didn't matter to her what Derek thought of her character. She'd declared that she wasn't going to care about him, so she was going to take a page from his book. She'd just ignore him like he did her.

* * *

"Chloe! Wait up!"

Something in the air must have been changing or else there was no other explanation for why Simon Bae was running to catch up with her.

She stopped, waiting for him to reach her, but sent a yearning glance to the car parked only several feet from her. As cheerful as Simon was, she still wasn't sure what that wink had been about earlier. Had he been making fun of her? Or was he actually trying to befriend her, unlike his antisocial brother? It would be so much easier if the two weren't related in anyway.

"Chloe? It is Chloe, isn't it?" the boy mad sure when he came to stand beside her. Chloe nodded, still sending glances at the sleek black car waiting for her at the curb. Simon noticed the direction of her stare. "Is that your ride?"

"Yeah, and it would probably be best if I didn't keep Milos waiting." Not really. Milos was a patient driver, never rushing her to get in the car. If he saw her talking with Simon, he'd probably encourage her to stay and chat with the boy, knowing how important it was for her to make friends in a new environment. Chloe just didn't want to talk to Simon, knowing that at some point, he might bring up the topic of that note she'd written to Derek.

"I'll walk with you," he offered. Any other time, Chloe would have stammered and blushed her gratitude. Now, she was too busy worrying about whether or not Simon thought her some creepy girl who was stalking his brother. "You're new here, right?"

"Yeah. I haven't even been here a month yet." Chloe kept her eyes on the ground in front of her, afraid that if she looked into his amber-colored eyes, she'd start blabbering about how she never meant to stalk Derek. Not that she had been stalking him, but Simon didn't know the truth. He likely just knew what Derek told him. "My friend Rae said you just moved here, too."

Chloe raised her head enough to see his step catch, eyes widening in surprise. Great. Now Simon thought she was stalking him as well. Then his face broke out into a wide grin. "Our dad got a new job near here. What's your reason for coming here?"

"Same thing." His good humor was infectious, and soon Chloe found herself meeting his eye and smiling back. "My mom died a couple of years ago." She waved off his apology before it even left his lips, being so used to hearing it after her mother's death. "Ever since then, my dad's been changing jobs left and right. I think settling down somewhere reminds him of Mom, so he tries to avoid it as much as he can."

It was a handful to drop on someone within the first couple of minutes of meeting them, but Simon took it in stride, which Chloe really admired.

They finally came to a stop next to the car. Chloe found herself feeling a little down at the prospect of ending their conversation. Simon could actually become a really good friend, if she just ignored that he had a brother who rubbed her in all the wrong ways. Maybe he felt the same as she did, as the next thing she knew, Simon was asking, "What are you doing on Saturday?"

There'd been rumors, of course, that Simon was a bit more friendly when females were involved, but that was fast. Seeing her hesitation, Simon was quick to clarify, "Derek and I go to the park every Saturday to shoot some hoops. It helps keep me prepared for basketball season. You should come with us."

"With you and…D-Derek?" Here it was. When he confronted her about giving that note to his jerk of a brother. Well, she would stand her ground. Derek had been nasty to her, so she had had a just reason to write that note to him.

"I know he's…hard to get to know." He either didn't see her skeptical look or chose to ignore it. "Once you spend some time with him, though, you'll see he's actually a…"

His sentence trailed off, as though he didn't even believe his own words. Chloe watched as his grin turned into a grimace. "I'm not really doing a good job in convincing you that he's not as bad as he seems, am I?"

That at least raised a laugh out of her, along with a shake of her head. But Simon didn't take offense, just waved aside her unvoiced worries and continued, "Just come along. It'll be fun. Don't worry about Derek."

"Maybe…" She pulled on the car door handle.

Simon grabbed onto the door, holding it open for her as she got in. Seeing that she was still reluctant about agreeing to hang out that weekend, he tried again. "If you want, I'll talk to Derek about it, but just think about it, all right?"

She wasn't really sure she wanted him talking to Derek about her. If he didn't know about her note by now, then the green-eyed boy might bring it up when Simon talked to him. Yet…spending time with Simon seemed like it would be enjoyable.

Really, she shouldn't be so scared to do something just because Derek Souza would be there. Hadn't she said she wasn't going to care about him? Well, she had, and she wasn't going to let him rule her thoughts. New friends were always welcome in her life, and hanging out with them was always a delight. She was going to let Simon be her new friend, and not let anyone--including his own brother--stop her from doing so.

"Sure," she finally said when she realized she was keeping Simon waiting for her answer. "I'll go."

"Perfect." His smiled seemed to grow bigger. "We'll talk later about it, okay?"

Chloe nodded, and they exchanged their goodbyes, Simon shutting the door so Milos could drive away.

Silence enveloped the car for all of three seconds before Milos asked with a raised eyebrow, "New friend?"

For someone paid to drive her to and from school, Milos sure had become nosy about her personal life. Chloe pulled her book bag into her lap, ducking her head so he couldn't see the redness blooming on her cheeks. "Maybe."

Digging in the front pocket of her bag, she dodged Milos's questions until he changed the subject. Laughing at something the driver said, Chloe's fingertips brushed against something smooth in her search. Confused she pulled out the foreign object and found herself staring at a smooth, crisply folded piece of paper. Her heart raced as alarms went off in her head, sounding off 'Another note! Another note!'

_If you're normal, then I'm a movie star._

So, he wanted to talk about movies, did he? Well, if there was one thing Chloe did know about, it was movies. And Derek Souza was going to hear all about them…

* * *

Authoress's Notes: I. AM. SO. SORRY!! I didn't mean to keep you waiting, I swear! But school got in the way a couple of weeks ago. Then all last week, I was stuck in bed with strep throat...it was really bad...and I was not in the greatest condition to go on the computer and type this all up. But here it is! I cut about the last two scenes I was planning on including in this chapter, but realized where I left off was good. The other scenes will be in the next chapter. Which I want to get out much faster than I did this one...but writing fanfics will have to wait until I've finished all the make-up work from missing a whole week of school.

Thanks so much to all who have read and reviewed! Hope you enjoyed this chappie! Now things are really gonna start to progress between Derek and Chloe...yay!

Just think, everyone...The Reckoning is only a couple of weeks away. Just in time for my spring break!


	4. Eye of the Beholder

Really Nice Eyes

Chapter 4

Eye of the Beholder

* * *

"_Who_ do you think you are?"

Chloe started, banging her knee on the leg of the lunch table. Standing over her, hands poised on her hips, was a dark-haired girl. Chloe had seen her around the school, the kind of girl usually surrounded by boys, wearing designer clothes and nose upturned in that snobby way. Until now, of course, she had never had the pleasure (or, in Rae's opinion, the inconvenience) of meeting Victoria Enright.

"Why, hello, Tori. How kind of you to drop by." Rae greeted stonily, her face revealing just how displeased she was by the other girl's presence.

"God, Rae. Have another bread stick, why don't you?" Tori stared distastefully at Rae's lunch tray before turning back to Chloe. "I saw you cozying up to Simon in the parking lot yesterday. If you know what's good for you, you'll back off."

"Wow, Tori. What a speech. Did you come up with that all by yourself?" Rae would not back down.

Ignoring Rae's taunts, Tori continued, "Let's get this straight, new girl. Simon Bae is off-limits, and you're not to go anywhere near him. Or else you'll regret it."

Quiet fell over the table. Chloe could just barely keep her jaw from falling open. She was being confronted by another girl-because of a boy! Never had she had problems with her own sex before. To other girls, she was simply nice Chloe. Nothing too remarkable. A little on the silent side. Looked too much like a child. Not really a threat. Just a good friend, not someone who would willingly steal boys from other girls. She was utterly speechless. Had she even tried speaking, her stutter would be in overdrive.

Seeing that Chloe was too shocked to stand up for herself, Rae cleared her throat and spoke, "That's so great of you to pass on that warning, Tori. It's just too bad that Chloe's already got a date with Simon."

The Enright girl froze. Then, "_What?_" at the same time that Chloe finally found her voice and exclaimed, "R-Rae!"

"Yep," Rae didn't even bat an eyelash at her outrageous tale. Chloe tried to kick her friend under the table, but only managed to knock her shin into the table leg once more. "Tomorrow. They're shooting hoops at the park. _Together_." She stressed the last word, completely leaving out that small tidbit that Derek would be there as well. Or that it wasn't a date at all.

"Really…" Tori's eyes were narrowed into thin little slivers. Chloe wasn't sure that she liked that look so much. Opening her mouth to explain the real circumstances, Tori's glare stopped her. That cold, half-wild look in her expression scared Chloe more than Derek's had. That was the look of someone who would do whatever she could to get what she wanted. Without saying anything else, or waiting for Chloe to speak up with her explanation, Tori whirled around and strutted away.

"Now the princess is going to throw a tantrum. How awful." Rae remarked, not sympathetically.

"Rae…" Chloe groaned. "How could you do that?"

'How could I _not_ do that?" her friend replied casually, seeing nothing wrong with the situation. At Chloe's incredulous stare, Rae shrugged, "So what? It's what she deserves. You know I had to share a bunk bed with her at summer camp a couple of years ago? She wouldn't let me have the top bunk because she said she was afraid I'd break it. Then the whole thing would fall on top of her. How I wish! That witch needs something to come and fall on her."

Chloe didn't respond. True, she hadn't heard a lot of good press about Tori Enright. But the popular girl had never bothered her before, so why should it matter to Chloe? Now it seemed that she would be receiving attention from Tori, whether she wanted it or not. The thought didn't really settle too well with her. She hadn't meant to cause any drama, and she surely didn't want anyone to see her in that whole 'boy-stealing' light.

Maybe…maybe she was just worrying too much. Possibly, Tori wasn't going to do anything. Yet something told Chloe that it wouldn't be as simple as that. That look in Tori's glare said that she wasn't one to give up that easily-or without a fight.

Why had she told Rae about her plans to hang out with Simon and Derek? Rae had only taken that information and used it to anger Tori. As if Chloe didn't already have to worry about Derek Souza…

That reminded her. "Are you all set for the plan tomorrow?"

"Of course," Rae answered immediately, giving her a thumbs-up. "Are you sure I can come with you?"

"I talked to Simon this morning," she ignored the knowing look Rae was giving her. "He said it would be fine if I brought you along. Said that we can play two on two. Which is perfect. Now you have to distract Derek just long enough so that I can slip the note somewhere where he'll notice."

"Have you written it yet? Can I read it?"

"No. I'll do it tonight." Truth was, she'd written it in the car yesterday afternoon. When she'd gotten home, she'd called Rae and relayed all the info to her, including walking with Simon and Derek's newest note. But after seeing Rae giving away the confidential details about Saturday (and not even _all _the details) to Tori, Chloe was a little hesitant about sharing anything more.

* * *

Feeling those fierce green eyes on her, Chloe thought that she had made a _huge _mistake. Turning her body slightly, she tried to listen as Simon explained the rules of the game. Derek was leaning against the basketball hoop, arms folded over his chest in a way that made clear he was _not_ happy. Nothing new there, as Chloe figured the boy must never be happy, but it was starting to get very annoying because he was obviously blaming her. His harsh gaze, fixated on the back of her head, was unnerving, to say the least.

"Okay, you got all of that?" Simon's voice cut into her thoughts, making her realize she'd been tuning him out. So, no, she hadn't gotten all of 'that', whatever 'that' was. Simon had been understanding when Chloe had confessed she was a bit clueless when it came to basketball. Instead of huffing and puffing impatiently, like some other boy on the court, he'd taken the time to talk her through the game.

She nodded, not wanting to tell him she'd missed over half of the things he'd said. Had she said something, she had the feeling that he would take another fifteen minutes to explain it all again. Which would lead to more huffing and puffing from the Big Bad Derek.

"Great! Now let's split into teams," Rae declared, getting up from where she was sitting on the ground. Rae hadn't needed to know how to play the game, unlike Chloe. "There's four of us, so it's gonna be two on two."

"How about boys versus girls to start with?" Simon offered, grabbing the ball form where he'd tossed it earlier on the sidelines. "After that," he winked at Chloe. "We'll switch it up."

With that, the game started. Chloe soon learned to hang back and let Rae do all the work. The other girl wasn't particularly exceptional at the sport, but she could at least dribble and move at the same time. So, Chloe did what she thought was best and hovered near the hoop. That way, Rae could throw the ball into the net, and Chloe could rebound it. It was decided early in the game that Chloe was not allowed to actually attempt making any points herself, as she tended to overshoot it. Within the first ten minutes of the game, they'd had to pause it to fetch the ball from a nearby shrub.

The goal, Chloe discovered, was to get the ball in the hoop fifteen times before the opposing team. Needless the say, the boys won the first game. When Simon suggested they play another round with the same teams, Rae shook her head and demanded a partner switch.

"No offense to you, Chloe," her friend explained. "But if I want to keep my pride, we have to even out the playing field."

"Fine by me," Simon shrugged, bouncing the ball on the ground. Catching it in his hands, he nodded to Chloe. "Blondes versus you dark-haired freaks."

Chloe stifled a laugh as she walked over to Simon. The boy grinned back conspiratorially. "This'll be a piece of cake. They look like they'd rather push each other off a bridge than work together."

Chloe noted the others' expressions and agreed. Rae looked as if she was trying her hardest to not get within an arm's length of her new teammate, eying him with distaste. On the other hand, Derek was acting like Rae didn't exist, hands shoved in his pockets like he didn't care. He knew Rae was glancing over at him wearily, knew she was reluctant to team up with him, but acted like it didn't bother him in the slightest. Looking closer, Chloe could see the tension in his jaw and the narrowing of those green eyes. It bothered him, though. He might not show it, might try his utmost to hide it, but it bothered him a lot. For a split second, Chloe wanted to snap at her friend. Just because he was taller, bulkier, and scowled at everything within distance, didn't mean he was-

_What? A monster? Because you sure seemed to think that every time you ducked around a corner when you saw him walking down the hall._

A part of her wanted to protest, say it wasn't like that. She was Chloe Saunders, nice girl extraordinaire. But she knew that little voice was right. She'd acted just like Rae was dong now, like Derek Souza was just a terrifying bully. Was he really, though? When Rae and she had first met up with Simon at the park, it was apparent that he wasn't pleased that they were there. But he hadn't drive them away with threats. Sure, he'd glared and huffed, but he had let them stay.

Simon obviously thought highly of him, and watching the two brothers play together on the court, Chloe could tell they were close. They hadn't won the first game due to luck or Chloe's ineptitude at anything sports related. No, they had worked together. When one lost the ball, the other was always there to retrieve it. When one was being blocked by Rae, he would throw the ball over her head, knowing that his brother would be there to catch it and make the shot.

Perhaps she'd been too hasty in her judgment of Derek. What if there was something more to him than that scowl and rude demeanor? There had to be something there that she wasn't seeing. Simon saw it. And, watching as Derek stole the ball from his brother, Chloe found that she wanted to see it, too.

* * *

"All right, it's official," Rae announced at the conclusion of the second round. "Any time you have Chloe as your teammate, you're bound to lose."

Chloe cringed, glancing apologetically at Simon. He shrugged at the loss, smile still carefree and relaxed. "No big deal," he told her. "I'll win next time."

"Are you suddenly a psychic now?" Derek came up behind his brother, ball tucked under his arm.

"I don't have to see in the future to know I can beat you," Simon shot back, eyes glinting with the prospect of a challenge.

"Want to make a bet?"

"Sure. Whoever loses buys pizza for the winner."

Derek rolled his eyes, holding out his hand to make the bet legit.

"And the loser doesn't get to eat any of the pizza." Simon hurriedly clasped his hand with his brother's before Derek could object to the terms, laughing mischievously. Spinning on his heel, he pointed at Rae. "Colors versus whites. You're with me."

"Colors against- _excuse me_?" Rae crossed her arms, glaring at Simon. "You trying to piss me off?"

"Relax, Rachelle. I was talking about our shirts. What did you think I was-" he stopped short, looking at Rae, then at his hands. "_Oh._"

"That's right. Oh."

"My bad. Let's rewind a second," he pointed once again at Rae. "Us with the colored shirts, not skin," he stressed before turning to point at Derek and Chloe. "against those with the white shirts." Facing Rae, he asked, "Is that better?"

The girl nodded, although Chloe could see that Rae hadn't held it against Simon in the first place. He was too friendly and charismatic to really be offensive. It was an honest mistake, and Rae was smart enough to realize that. Didn't mean she couldn't give him a hard time about it.

As Rae and Simon huddled together on the opposite side of the court, Chloe approached her new partner. Derek was dribbling the ball in front of him, pointedly not looking at her.

"Hey," she greeted him, hoping that maybe she could spark a conversation. Along with her earlier epiphany that Derek might not be such a bad guy after all had come the determination to get to know him better, whether or not he hated the sight of her.

He didn't reply, which was unsurprising. Other than speaking with Simon, he'd barely voiced two words all afternoon. "So…."

"Don't get in my way."

His words were so sudden, so unexpected that Chloe didn't even have the time to process how stupid she sounded.

"W-what?"

"Don't get in my way." He stopped dribbling, catching the ball with both hands. His gaze snapped to hers as he said slowly, "Stand there, don't go after the ball, don't touch the ball, and do not _shoot _the ball."

"What if it comes at me?" It had happened before, the ball flying at her face. She'd thrown up her hand to try and stop it, only to have it soar off the court.

"Let it go."

"Even if it hits me in the face?" she questioned, gritting her teeth.

His look told her he thought she was more than a little slow. "Yeah."

She was surprised to feel her nails biting into the palms of her hands, her fists were so tightly clenched. "You have got to be kidding me!"

"I don't kid," He pushed past her. "Not with pizza."

* * *

"I told you not to touch the ball," Derek just about growled Monday as she sat in the seat next to him in English class.

Chloe bit her tongue to hold back the reply that threatened to leave her lips. Derek still wouldn't let the fact that she hadn't listened to him go. For a boy who refused to talk to her any other time, he sure seemed eager to chew her out.

It did give her a small sense of satisfaction, though. Not the whole chewing out part, but before, when she'd intercepted the ball. Once in her hands, she'd just stared at it, wondering how it suddenly just appeared there. Then, she'd realized both Rae and Simon were headed her way, faces determined to make her give up the ball. Derek had been on the other side of the court, far away from the hoop. She knew she should have just tossed it to him, or let the opposing team get it so Derek could take it away from them.

But, having looked across the court at him, she'd seen his expression. Seen that he had been scowling, angry that despite that he'd told her to leave the ball alone, it had somehow ended up in her grasp. That's when she knew. She wouldn't let him dictate her. It was unfair of him to demand that she stand back and let him order her around. Maybe if he'd asked nicely, or if they'd made some sort of solid game plan, she'd have let the ball go. She wouldn't have attempted making that basket. She wouldn't have missed the shot and sent the ball into the bushes. Then, there wouldn't have been ten minutes of searching for the ball with Derek, complete with uncomfortable, awkward silence as he was seething.

They'd gotten so caught up in playing with the boys, along with searching for the ball every time Chloe knocked it into the shrubbery, that she and Rae hadn't even had time to slip the note into Derek's bag. Her gaze slipped to the backpack under his desk. If she was careful enough, it was possible she could place it in there…

Oh wait, he was glaring at her again. Opening his mouth to berate her once more, except he was stopped as the teacher began that day's lesson. Chloe ignored the teacher, continuing to glance at Derek's backpack. She'd come to class late, as her locker had taken forever to open. By the time she arrived in the classroom, her usual seat had already been taken. The only one left open was the one next to Derek's. She'd been hesitant at first. After wrecking his chance at beating Simon in basketball, and therefore, pizza, he probably wanted nothing to do with her. Yet, this seat could prove to be more useful in her plans than she originally thought. Was there a way to get the note from her bag to his without him noticing? She'd have to be extremely crafty-

A white rectangle of paper rested on her desk. She'd been so absorbed in staring at Derek's bag that she hadn't even seen who put the paper in front of her. Although, she had a guess as to who it was, a guess that was confirmed when she read the short, simple message.

_When someone tells you to do something, you do it._

How dare he order her around in writing! Hastily, Chloe grabbed her pencil, scribbled down a reply, and passed the paper back to his desk.

_Maybe if you said 'please'. _

Derek was half tempted to toss the paper into the trash, just to show her what he thought of saying 'please'.

_Maybe you should mind your own business. _

He watched her face as she read his words, processed them, and hunched over her desk to furiously write something in return. Her cheeks were tinted pink with fury, and the space between her eyebrows bunched together as she narrowed her eyes. A week ago, she'd been scared to death of him, hiding around corners as if he didn't notice what she was doing. Now, she was standing up to him, something he wasn't sure he admired or not.

_You really need to work on your people skills._

Like he needed her to tell him that. Not that he wanted to work on the way he interacted with others.

_Then work on your dribbling if you're going to keep playing basketball with Simon. You dropped the ball every other minute._

It was the most he'd ever written to her, and by the slight widening of her eyes, he could tell that she realized that, too. It took her awhile to respond, but when he felt the edge of the paper slip under his palm, he picked it up and was also surprised by what was written on it.

_Maybe we should work together. You help me with basketball. I help you to not be such a jerk._

He struggled to contain a small grin. So, she thought she was tough, now? Well, he knew just how to bring her back down a few notches, as well as get her to back off.

_Fine. After school today. Meet me in the gym. _

He didn't watch her while she read the note this time, knowing that if he did, he'd see that look on her face. That one expression that said no matter hw many notes she wrote to him, he was still just some thug whose company she'd rather not be around. Sure, she seemed different at first because she'd tried to approach him. In the end, however, she'd be just like everyone else and run away like a scared dog with its tail between its legs.

The paper was back on his desk, folded over so he couldn't immediately see her response. Suddenly, a tiny ball of dread settled in his stomach. Why did he care so much about how she'd answer? If anything, he should be anticipating the rebuff. It meant she would be out of his hair, once and for all. No more notes. No more staring from across the classroom. No more having her show up out of nowhere to play basketball with him and his brother. Life could go back to normal, to the way it had been before Chloe Saunders ever decided to butt in.

He took a deep breath. And turned over the paper.

* * *

Authoress's Notes: Um...please don't kill me? First off: I. AM. SO. SORRY. FOR. THE. LONG. UPDATE! Woo, now that that's out of the way, let me just apologize again. I really didn't mean to take so long with this chapter. It's just that every time I turned around, life happened again. And again. And again. So this took a little longer than necessary. Luckily, I didn't have to go into work today, nor did I have anything else important to do (I say, as I just conveniently ignore that big final exam project for AP European History, or the wasteland that has become my bedroom). Also, it helps that I got some really bad sunburn earlier today, and I really don't feel like doing stuff when I feel like my skin is on fire. So, I popped in my dvds of season 1 of Avatar: The Last Airbender, plopped myself onto my couch with a drink and food, and settled the laptop in front of me so that I could, for once and for all, complete this chapter. And I did!

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! Sorry if I haven't replied much to anyone (once again...life got hectic for awhile). I wish I could say the next chapter will be put up within the next week or so (or at least, that I won't take so long to update like I did this chapter...), but life's gonna get really busy once again. In the next three weeks, although I am finishing up my last week of school, I still have a bunch of things to do. Graduation, college orientation, graduation party, not to mention all my friends' graduation parties, working a bunch to pay for college...ugh...already summer is so busy! Hopefully, things will wind down by the end of June. But who knows. I might surprise you.

Anyone notice that this chapter is the longest one so far? Just a little 'I'm sorry, please accept this long chapter as my heartfelt apology' to all my readers. Just don't hate me for the cliffhanger. I had to do it!

On a totally different note, who absolutely LOVED The Reckoning? I know I did! ;D

Now, back to my Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1 dvds...


	5. Seeing Eye to Eye

Really Nice Eyes

Chapter 5

Seeing Eye to Eye

* * *

Her feet felt like lead as she neared the car parked by the curb. Surely that was why Chloe was moving so slowly through the crowd of students leaving for the day. It definitely wasn't because the growing ball of anxiety in her stomach was weighing her down with every step she took in the direction of the vehicle. Someone bumped into her from behind, knocking her forward, and she slapped out a hand before she collided with the passenger side door. Milos waved at her from inside as he reached over to open the door for her.

Leaning down so she could see him, Chloe hoped her face didn't reveal the anxiety that she felt as she blurted out, "I'm staying after today. I already called Aunt Lauren and she said it was okay. She'll pick me up when I'm done."

"You sure?" her driver asked in return. Chloe nodded earnestly and closed the door as Milos started the car. Only after watching him pull out of the parking lot and drive away from the school did she release the breath she was holding in. That had gone better than she had expected. Thankfully, Milos didn't pepper her with an onslaught of questions ranging from how long she'd be staying after to whether or not she using an after-school activity as a cover for a wild keg party. Her Aunt Lauren was just a teensy bit overprotective. Luckily, she believed the excuse Chloe had made about attending a pep club meeting. Chloe liked to think that Aunt Lauren trusted her, but she didn't think her aunt would react too kindly if she had met the boy that she would be meeting up with in the school gym.

And meet him in the gym she did. To her surprise, when she walked through the door to the gymnasium, Derek was already there, dribbling a ball on the court. He ran around in front of the basketball hoop, sneaker-clad feet barely audible on the floor. Jumping forward, he poised the orange ball over his head as he attempted the shot, the light hitting him in a way that showed the glistening of his-

Chest. His bare-naked chest.

He'd taken off his shirt just to teach her how to play basketball. Which was perfectly understandable. Guys always played sports shirtless. Chloe had definitely seen them do that before and it hadn't disconcerted her. Seeing a guy's topless torso really shouldn't be such a big surprise. Unless it involved Derek Souza, who she was pretty sure up until now did not have such a distinct muscular form. For a moment, she stood silent, speechless as she stared in amazement.

But not because of that chest. Or those muscles. Certainly not.

Chloe was just astonished that he'd actually showed up. She had thought for sure that this was a just some ploy of his to get her to leave him alone. Back in class, she had stalled over the note when he had told her to meet him in the gym. Upon reading that, she had been both excited and apprehensive. This was a chance to meet with him one on one, time to learn more about him to see past the boorish self he presented. Only…what if he didn't show up after school? What if he thought that if he stood her up, she would go away so easily?

Well, Chloe wasn't ready to give up on her mission so easily. She could stand the humiliation of him leaving her by her lonesome in the gym. Only because soon he would see how very persistent she could be. One way or another, Chloe was going to find out more on the subject of Derek Souza, and no one could stop her, not even the boy in question.

Except he hadn't tried to stop her. He had actually turned up, fully prepared to give her a lesson in all things basketball. Her brain just could not wrap around the fact that he was really, truly there! In the flesh! The sweaty, muscular…

Best not go down that road.

"You're late," were his words when he saw her standing by the door, gaping at him.

Caught off guard, she mentally told herself, _Don't stutter, don't stutter_. "I-I w-was telling my ride I was st-staying after." Inside, she cringed. He probably thought she was still terrified of him, which she was. Sort of. Maybe. She hadn't really decided what her feelings were for him now.

With a little grunt, he didn't say anymore, just tossed the ball in her direction. Quickly, Chloe dropped her bag on the floor and whipped her hand out to deflect the ball. It flew in the air after hitting her arm before dropping to the ground with small bounces. Derek watched as it rolled away.

"You're not very good at this," he commented.

"Thanks. I've noticed." Chloe ground her teeth together. How nice of him to point out her shortcomings. As if she didn't even know them herself.

He picked up the ball again and walked over to where she stood. "The ball isn't going to hurt you, Chloe. I'm not throwing it that hard."

So easy for him to say. He was used to playing with Simon, had probably been playing for years. That natural instinct for him to defend himself when something flew at his face was gone. Chloe still hadn't gotten over that instinct.

"You're still throwing it at me." she pointed out. "I'm not going to stop being afraid when you keep throwing the basketball at my face."

"You can't play if you're afraid of the ball," Derek pointed out, his teeth grinding together with irritation. Why couldn't she wrap her brain around that fact? The sooner she gave up that fear, the sooner they could get down to business and have her play basketball like a normal person.

She straightened, stepping away from him, narrowing her eyes in his direction. Taking a step back, Derek pretended to scratch an itch on the side of his head, using the movement to quickly catch a trace of his scent. Sure, he was a growing boy and all, and should expect to smell foul at most points in his teenage years. That didn't mean that he couldn't be completely insecure about the affect that aroma had on people near him. He'd even taken his shirt off, in an attempt to cool off his skin, so there wouldn't be as much sweat, but that didn't always work.

"Let's just stop right here," Chloe held up a hand.

"Why?" His stench couldn't be that bad, could it? Not so bad that she'd stop before they'd even started.

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?" Why couldn't she just come out and say what she was thinking? Why did she have to keep dragging this out, making him believe the more they stood there, the smellier he got? If she didn't like being around him because of that, he probably should have just told her to leave already. He couldn't control his sweat just as much as she couldn't control that irritating stutter of hers.

She drew out her words slowly, a technique he often used on others, though he had never realized until then how stupid it could make someone feel. "Being a jerk."

Oh. So, the problem wasn't his odor, then?

"You can't just go around and insult me all the time on what I'm doing. If you have a problem with me, then at least be polite about it."

It really wasn't about his scent. Well, that was a relief.

"And you're not even paying attention to me."

He glared at her, and was surprised, for once, when she glared right back. Not that he let her see it. Really, though, where was that stutter now? Maybe she did have some guts after all. She had to have, he corrected himself, if she had shoved that first note into his hand.

"Please, continue," he drawled, his tone not caring in the least. He knew he was a "jerk"-a nicer term, he thought, than what people usually called him-but really, he was just dishing out what people gave him. Not that Chloe had ever acted in any way that required him to be mean in return.

Her glare stayed unbroken, to the point where he felt maybe she was sizing him up. Then, with an exaggerated sigh, she wheeled around on her heel, grabbed her book bag from where she had placed it out of the way, and strode out of the gym, tossing over her shoulder, "Just forget it."

Initially, his thought was that finally, he had gotten her to leave him alone. This was followed, for some strange reason, by a hollow feeling in his chest. Something akin to disappointment, that he wanted to shrug off and shove far away into the recesses of his mind. Disappointed? In himself, because he had managed to at last drive her off? Or in her, for giving up on him so easily? Either way, it angered him to the point of sprinting after her.

As his legs were longer, he caught up with her in no time at all. He'd rushed out of there so quickly, he hadn't even put on his shirt, or put down the basketball, but he put those inanities out of his mind to focus on the girl walking away from him that very second. Reaching out, he grasped her elbow, causing her to angrily spin around.

"What, Derek? A-are you not done being such a jerk?" Chloe wanted to flinch at her choice of words. She really needed to find a synonym for jerk, maybe one that didn't make her sound like she was in grade school.

Before she could protest, Derek took the book bag in her hands and replaced it with the basketball. Ignoring her muttered sounds of objection, he herded her back into the gym, throwing her bag to the side and making her face the wall. Without a moment's notice, he stepped behind her, placed his hands on hers, and pulled them back until her arms were bent. Then, no warning given, he thrust her arms forward again, removing her hands from the basketball and letting it fly to the wall. The orange ball sailed through the air, hit the wall, and returned to Chloe.

She flinched, waiting for the impact, as Derek was keeping her from moving out of the way. Paying no attention to the fact she was cowering in anticipation of the collision of the basketball and her face, Derek maneuvered her hands again so that they stretched out towards the ball. To her shock, the ball landed safely in her hands, nowhere near the vicinity of her face.

Derek curled his fingers around hers, making her hands grasp the ball tighter. They both stood still, hands clutching the basketball and not speaking. Until Derek brought her arms back again and launched the ball at the wall again. Chloe still flinched, but at least she could say she didn't squeeze her eyes shut. All right, maybe she was squinting a little, but she could say that she did keep her eyes somewhat open.

"Better, but not good enough," Derek commented, pulling her arms back for another go round.

Chloe yanked her arms away from him, extricating herself from his hold. As she opened her mouth to retort, Derek held up a hand and continued, "Don't yell at me how rude that was. I was only speaking the truth, and you know it."

Sadly, she did, but in spite of that, she still wanted to point out how even was he was being honest, he was being a jerk about it. And there was that word again! She really needed to grow up and start calling him worse names, like all the other kids at school did. Not that she felt he deserved to be called such names, but jerk was starting to wear thin, and it didn't seem to have much affect on him. At least, not so much so that he would start changing his attitude.

"You manhandled me," Chloe wasn't much a glaring type of person, but she tried her hardest to muster up an efficient, accusing glower.

"Yeah, that probably wasn't the smoothest way to get your attention," Derek dryly responded. "But we found a way for you to get over your irrational fear of the ball, haven't we?"

How did he make it so hard to argue with him? Chloe shut her gaping mouth and turned around, shooting the ball again. When it rebounded off the wall, she went to catch it, but drew back at the last minute before it rammed into her fingers.

Derek let out a sigh of impatience before gripping her elbow and pulling her back over to him. She noted that this time, his grip was lighter, leaving her able to step away if she wanted to. This touch was more inviting, not demanding that she follow his lead. Appreciative, Chloe let him draw her back in front of him and resume his helping her throw the basketball.

After throwing and catching the ball a few more times, Derek's grip on her hands loosened. He began backing away, leaving more and more space between them. Soon, he was standing off to the side, arms crossed and chest puffing out a bit in pride as he watched Chloe throwing the ball and catching it again. Sure, there probably was a better way to teach her how to play the game, a nicer, more Simon-like way, but his method had gotten the job done, hadn't it?

"Hey," he called. "Chloe."

She paused, retracting her arms and holding the ball closer to her, turning to face him. Still a bit irked from his forcibly dragging her, she asked, exasperated, "What now?"

He ignored her slight attitude with a wave of his hand. "Let's get on with this lesson."

"Wait…" she stalled, turning something over in her mind. "Was I doing it?"

"Doing what?" Now he was the one to sound impatient. "Catching a ball? Yeah. Congratulations. Now, let's continue."

He pulled the ball out of her grasp and moved away towards the hoop, leaving Chloe standing there to mentally cheer herself on. She'd done it! She'd really done it! At first, she thought maybe Derek's way of going about teaching her wasn't that great, but she really had been throwing and catching the ball, not afraid of it hitting her face anymore.

Next, he showed her how to correctly shoot the ball at the basketball hoop. Once again, Chloe wasn't a pro at it, but Derek actually took his time to instruct her. Apart from a few rushed huffs of irritation, he didn't even seem to be that annoyed. She didn't want to think it, lest she jinx it, but they _almost _seemed to be getting along.

"So…" she stalled, preparing her arms to shoot the ball at the hoop. "Thanks. For teaching me."

"You needed it. I just happened to be the one to get suckered into doing it."

"And that, Derek," she put her arms down and faced him. "Is where you just accept my gratitude and say 'You're welcome, Chloe.'"

"Why should I?"

"It's the polite thing to do." She watched him expectantly, her eyes encouraging.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he let out a long sigh and looked at the ceiling. When he glanced back down at her, he opened his mouth, then grudgingly spoke, "You're…welcome, Chloe."

"That wasn't hard, was it? Maybe next time you'll do it without me telling you to." It was ridiculous, but Chloe's mouth couldn't help lifting into a smile. Maybe it was the fact that he had accepted her advice with little complaint, or that she believed it was one of the first times he said her name out loud, but Chloe felt giddy. There seemed to be hope for him, after all.

Silently, she watched as he took the ball and demonstrated how to dribble it. Gone was his impatience, as he followed the ball with his eyes, bouncing it against the tips of his fingers when it came back up at him. When he looked up and caught her watching his face, not his hand movements, he gave her a quizzical expression.

"Did you really steal candy from a baby?"

The question, so abrupt and unexpected, would have made any other person halt and stare at her as though she were crazy. Derek stared back a her and answered instantly, "No."

A breath escaped her, but before she could say something else, he continued, "I also have never done any drugs, I don't throw dogs out of moving vehicles, and I've never seen an alien other than in movies or Simon's comic books. I may be adopted and not know my parents, but I'm pretty sure neither one of them was Bigfoot or a Yeti. I'm not big on cats, either, but I don't kill them. Am I missing something?"

"You forgot that you shoot laser beams from your eyes." She pointed out, holding back a giggle.

"Ah, of course." He shot his arms up, releasing the ball and getting it in the hoop. "Now that, I have no comment."

"Oh, so that's the one true rumor?"

"I said no comment." His face was hidden from her view as he jogged to catch the ball before it bounced too far away.

"I see. Can't reveal that super power of yours, right?"

"Did you not hear me?"

Chloe couldn't hold it in any longer. She burst out laughing. At first, she'd felt foolish for believing such obviously false tales about him, thinking he would think her an idiot for falling for such rumors. But he took it surprisingly well, even going so far as to…_joke _about it. Was that the makings of a potential _smile _he hid behind the basketball as he lifted it to throw? Chloe swore it was, although after the ball was thrown, his usual stern expression was set back in place. She knew, though. She knew that she had almost made Derek Souza smile. And that thought warmed her all over, for some strange reason.

"So, then I guess you didn't-" The slamming of doors caused both of them to turn their heads. A large group of sweaty, red-faced boys were coming in from outside, heading towards the locker room. They came from the direction of the football stadium, so Chloe guessed that they were part of the football team, just finished with their practice for the day. As they passed, most of the boys ignored the two standing off to the side of the gymnasium. Chloe and Derek stood thee watching the team pass, not speaking a word to each other until most of them were already walking into the locker room.

She turned back to Derek, opening her mouth to repeat the question that had been cut off by the commotion, when a male voice called out, "Hey, cutie!"

An older boy was heading in their direction, followed closely by what must be a friend of his. The two boys had sweat-slicked hair, so Chloe assumed they were stragglers from the football team. She couldn't determine, however, why exactly they were approaching. The closer one, with a head of blond hair, leaned towards her, his eyes snaking up her body in a way that almost made her gag. He nodded at her and said, "Freshman, right?"

Taking a step back, she stayed silent. A short chuckle escaped from his lips. "Of course you are. I'm Liam. This here's Ramon." Her jerked his thumb over his shoulder to the dark-haired youth standing behind him. Liam's eyes glanced over Derek, dismissing him before returning back to Chloe. "So, what're you up to?"

"I-I'm busy," Chloe said, continuing to back up. Her arm brushed against Derek's hand, as he had been inching forwards ever so slightly, his body rigid and those green eyes directing their infamous glare at the two boys in front of them. Her voice carried through the gym, which she had realized had emptied of everyone but them.

"This your boyfriend or something?" Liam finally acknowledged Derek standing beside her. Casually, the older boy looked Derek up and down, much like the way he had looked over Chloe, yet without any certain lecherous undertones. Chloe mentally summed up both of the boys in her head. Liam was more slim, but his height easily overpowered Derek's. Derek seemed bulkier, and judging from that expanse of firm, taut muscle she had glimpsed earlier on his torso, he could evenly match the older classman. But then there was Ramon to consider, who, up until then, had been silent and hung back from the small group that had formed. Although quiet and seemingly harmless, Chloe doubted that would be the case should a fight break out. Not that she wanted a fight to break, nor did she think for one moment that Derek would come to her defense should Liam press his suit. Then again, his hands were clenched tightly at his sides, his mouth drawn in a deeper scowl than he usually wore.

She chose to go with Derek's decision a moment ago and gave no comment, warily watching as Liam stepped closer. Had no one taught this boy the concept of personal space at all? He was practically standing on top of her with each step he took forward. And with each step backward she took in response, she was getting farther and farther behind Derek. The Souza boy himself was actually moving forward, making Chloe want to let out an inappropriate giggle. Had they been characters in a movie, would it look like they were performing some awkward, unrehearsed dance? She could only imagine it now…

…except she couldn't imagine it now, or else she'd miss what was going on between Derek and Liam. And whatever was going on, it seemed to be getting more and more intense by the second. The tension was thick in the air around them, and Chloe wanted to continue shrinking back from it, if only Derek hadn't taken her by her elbow and kept her from retreating.

"Really, kid, you ought to just leave now. I'm sure that this cutie here" he paused to leer at Chloe once more. "wants to hang out with an older man. A more experienced man."

"N-not really," she muttered, ducking her head to take the attention off of her.

Liam seemed to not have heard her, as he went on, "We're seniors, you know. And we're on the football team. We could show you a good time."

Silence from Chloe, who was trying hard not to show how nervous he was making her. Liam laughed out loud, pointing a finger at Derek and the basketball he was holding. "Why spend time playing basketball with this kid when you can come play football with us, cutie?"

"B-b-be-" Her words couldn't form right, and all that fell from her mouth landed in a useless pile of garbled words. She wanted to hit herself, she sounded so idiotic.

"Because you're the ones playing football." Derek's voice quieted the blond boy. Ramon stood up straighter, his arms moving forward just a bit, and that's when Chloe knew that a fight was unavoidable. Liam wasn't going to stop harassing her anytime soon, and despite that she was pretty sure Derek couldn't stand her, he was willing to defend her. Once again, she found herself softening towards him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ramon asked, taking a step towards Derek.

"Nothing at all." Derek said. "I was just wondering how many footballs you guys have taken to the head lately."

"Haha, Ramon! This guy thinks he's a comedian." Liam clapped his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Too bad he isn't that funny."

"Yeah, 'cause you guys are so much funnier." Derek shot back.

The other two, before at ease with the knowledge that they had the upper hand as they were seniors, stilled, their faces gaining an edge. They seemed to have realized that Derek wasn't backing down, as any other younger classman would have done by then. Instead, Derek was standing his ground, refusing to even flinch as the other two began to move in on him.

A voice called out Ramon's name. All four of them looked over to see the football coach gesturing to Ramon to come over. The boy was hesitant, giving Liam a questioning look before narrowing his eyes at Derek. Liam waved him away, speaking in his distinctive drawl, "This won't take long."

Still uncertain, Ramon drew away slowly, until his coach snapped his name once again. Liam turned to Chloe again. "You don't want to hang around this ugly guy, cutie. Let's go somewhere a bit more private."

He reached out for her wrist. Chloe, on instinct, yanked her arm away from his seeking fingers and smacked her hand out. Her palm landed right on his cheek, leaving a burning feeling to tingle through her fingers. For a moment, the three of them stood in complete stunned silence. Then, a laugh erupted from Liam. Reaching out for Chloe again, he remarked, "Well, I wasn't really expecting that from you, cutie, but I've gotta say, I like your guts."

Chloe wrenched herself out of his hold once he caught her arm, tumbling over her own feet in the process. With a cry, she fell backwards and landed on the floor, her head bumping against the hard floor of the gym. Before she could even sit back up and feel the pain rushing through her skull, a blur passed her vision. In a flash, Liam was also on the floor, his hand cupping his quickly reddening jaw. Above him, Derek stood poised, his fist raised in the air above the senior, ready to strike again.

Leaping up, Chloe grabbed his arm and tugged him away from Liam. It only took a matter of seconds for Derek to come to his senses. Leaving Liam alone on the floor and the basketball rolling away, Derek shook Chloe off and grabbed their things, leading her outside.

He wasn't talking after they had reached the school parking lot, now empty of cars and students. Handing over her backpack, Derek let loose a breath of agitation. To lose his temper like that, what was he thinking? But with one look at Chloe, he knew he had done the right thing. Sure, she seemed fine now, glancing over at him worriedly, as though he had been the assaulted one. Before, though, he'd seen the unease in her eyes, the discomfort in her stance as Liam stared at her in that annoying, disgusting way of his. What would have happened if he had just stood there and let Liam continue on in his perverse teasing? Nothing good, that's for certain.

Setting his bag on the ground, he drew out his shirt and pulled it back on over his head. Nodding to himself, Derek faced Chloe, who was still watching him as though waiting for him to bust into flames. "I'm fine," he told her as calmly as he could. "He was just-"

"-a creep. I know." In spite of the situation she'd just found herself in, Chloe was smiling. "Thanks."

He didn't need to ask her what for. Without waiting for her, he began walking in the opposite direction of the school. Just like he thought, she took a moment to register what was happening, but hurried to catch up to his long strides. "You're welcome." came his low rumble.

Hands stuck in his pockets and head staring forward, they walked along quietly, letting both of their nerves settle down. With no warning, Derek came to a halt. "I'm hungry."

"Oh!" Chloe grabbed for her backpack, zipping open a front pocket. "I think I have a power bar in here…"

"Brownies." Her head jerked up to stare at him. He shrugged, his eyes perusing the scenery around them. "I want some brownies. You in?"

He was avoiding making eye contact with her, unsure that she would still want to hang around him. Giving her the chance to go home now or stay with him. Weird, how just the other week she was dreading even seeing him in the hallway. Now, a strange thrilled fluttering had started in her stomach at just the thought of getting to know him more. All along, she'd been calling him the jerk, when he'd just defended her from a true jerk. It was time she began calling him by a new name. A name that would hopefully be friend.

"It'll be my treat."

* * *

Authoress's Notes: Hehehehehehe...Hi. Been awhile...hasn't it? I know. You're all in a murderous rage. But don't worry. I am alive and well, and you have your new chapter. Be thankful for that on Thanksgiving day.

Anyways, I probably could've done this over the summer...but I didn't. So, yeah...I should probably stop being so lazy. I do have an actual excuse though for the last 3 months, though! I started my first semester of college in August, and it's been a wild ride for awhile, with very little time to write for fun and not classes. And I have a job, too, which takes up some of my time. But I figured I'd get this out to you guys before my holiday break came up and I'd be so busy visiting everyone from home (my college is five hours away from my hometown, so this is the first time I've been able to go home in three months. Yeah, I'm super pumped about that. :D ), I wouldn't have much time to write. Although, my bus ride is going to be about 5 hours, so I'm planning on writing then...if I don't fall asleep on the way. I tend to fall asleep on long road trips. Either that, or read. In which case, I am bringing all three of my Darkest Powers books to read, just to get me back into the DP mood!

This chapter was actually supposed to extend even more, including the scene where they eat brownies together. But I felt that this was getting too long, and I'm getting too tired (I told myself not to go to bed until this was finished. See how dedicated I am?), so I decided to end it now. Which means more Chlerek-y goodness in the next chapter! And trust me, from here on now, there will be lots of Chlerek-y goodness.

Please excuse this chapter if it sucks in anyway. It's four in the morning. And it took me about six months to write...so...yeah...maybe expect some possible suckage in regards to grammar and spelling or whatnot.

Thanks for reading and reviewing if you choose to do so (Am I sensing 200 plus reviews? Wink. Wink.) And I promise to not make you wait another six months for chapter six. Just three. Lol, no, I kid you. Or do I...?


	6. In the Blink of an Eye

Really Nice Eyes

Chapter 6

In the Blink of an Eye

* * *

"I'm not sure I'll be able to eat all of that," Chloe pointedly stared at the plate of _one_ gigantic brownie that Derek brought to their table. Looking over at the second plate he held in his other hand, she commented, "I'm not sure _you'll_ be able to eat all of that."

The coffee shop was a block away from the school, taking them only ten minutes to easily walk there, including waiting two minutes to wait for a lull in traffic so they could cross the street. Derek's long legs carried him forward with efficiency and speed, and Chloe had been nearly huffing and puffing in an attempt to keep up with him during the entire stroll. The boy, taking one look at her, had remarked how she needed to work on her endurance or stamina or something like that, and received only a narrowed glance in reply. Chloe was beginning to learn that Derek wasn't the type of guy to idly walk next to her or slow down his pace so she wasn't flat out running to keep up with him.

"Trust me, I'll eat all of mine," One corner of his mouth twitched in what might have been amusement as he watched her poke at the edge of the brownie with a fork. "And I'll probably eat most of yours."

"We'll see about that." With that issue challenged, she promptly stuck a bite of the baked good in her mouth. Derek at his with less of a rush, apparently unconcerned that his food would fill him up before he had a chance to eat it all.

Together, they basked in the fudge-y morsel, Chloe exclaiming its deliciousness and Derek nodding his head in agreement. It was at this point that Chloe's nerves began to act up. Compared to the anxiety she felt not even two weeks ago, this was different. No longer was she afraid that he'd harm her or brush off her efforts at getting to know him. Gone was that irrational fear brought on by his severe glares, now replaced with a quiet shyness because it was just him and her, in a small, cozy cafe with brownies and he had a six pack, she was sure of it, and maybe that shouldn't count for much, but it counted for _something_, and this certainly was a date-like setting except she paid, so did it count as date? Did she want it to be date? _No, no, I don't want it to be a date_. Because what would that say about her? See one bare chest and suddenly she's smitten, that Chloe Saunders, she could hear school gossips saying now. Maybe it was just that, how others would see the situation. Shirtless boy saves girl from other boy's unwanted advances, go on date right after. Which is how it might be for other girls who felt okay doing that sort of thing, but Derek didn't deserve a thank-you date. If- a _big _if-she ever wanted to date Derek, it would be for his...finer points? Did Derek have finer points? _And you're still thinking about Derek and dating...why, Chloe? _She shouldn't be over-thinking this at all, so she really just needed to say something to distract her mind...

"So, you like math?" An image of an advanced edition of trigonometry floated in her head, but apparently he didn't recall such a book, if the wide eyes of puzzlement he was giving her were an indication.

"Yes, I do." Great. They were back to the one syllable words.

"Oh. Um... Who do you have for your teacher? I've got Mrs. Wang and she's really good at explaining the concepts," Her brain told her to shut up while she was ahead, and listen to his answer because he seemed to be participating in the conversation despite that it was the most mundane and uninteresting one ever. When he finished chewing and did answer, her jaw dropped. "But he's a _calculus _teacher. For_ seniors._ Are you saying you're in the senior math class?"

"No." Putting down his fork (that brownie of his was two-thirds already eaten, she noticed and took another bite of hers to catch up), he sat back to explain, "I'm in the EGP."

If her mouth wasn't gaping open still, it would have with that confession. "Ed-Edison Group Program?"

He nodded. "May your brain burn bright as the light. Stupid motto."

Lyle High's Edison Group Program was a noted bonus of the school's curriculum. it took kids who were above average in their studies and gave them access to higher forms of learning. Most of the students Chloe knew in the program were taking classes from a nearby community college. She asked Derek if he was one of them.

"I'm in the between stage right now, transitioning from high school classes to the college ones," he said. "Some of the teachers are helping by giving some projects to work on until I'm officially enrolled in the program." Although the cutting edge in his tone suggested that maybe some of those teachers weren't quite so helpful. Chloe understood why, too. Anyone looking at Derek wouldn't be able to guess he was at such a high level in his schooling, let alone deserved to be in such a prestigious program.

"Why are you in our English class then?" It was for ninth graders, so even if he wasn't in EGP, he certainly would have been in a normal tenth grade English class.

He shrugged, resuming his eating. "I suck at English."

The simple, honest truth. It made her smile down at her plate. Derek wasn't one to beat around the bush and although that may have at first made her cringe, Chloe was starting to warm to it.

"Is that why your family decided to move here? To be in the program?"

"No." And there was that closed off expression. Derek didn't want to talk about it. Too bad. She did.

"Is it because you..." She stalled, swallowing the knot in her throat that kept her from asking her question. Avoiding his eyes and the tense vibe she was sensing from him, she asked softly, "D-did you really break a guy's b-b-back?"

She knew she shouldn't have asked. They'd already established that all those rumors about him weren't true and were slightly on the side of completely ridiculous. Why shouldn't this one be any different? It was just blather some bored person made up because it seemed to be the kind of thing a boy like Derek was capable of. With Derek's looks and the fact he never outright shot down the talk about him made it that much easier to come up with more fodder for the rumor mill. So, Chloe should have just dismissed what she heard right off the bat, not even asked him about it because it wasn't going to be true. Yet, the way he got quiet, the way he squirmed in his seat, as if he wanted the conversation to end quickly...

She had to know. It was all part of her goal to Know Derek Souza, a goal that was quickly transforming into Become Derek Souza's Friend. That's what she wanted, she realized. To be his friend. He might not like that, might prefer that she just stare at him from across the room rather than be with him up close and personal, but Derek needed more friends. Or maybe just people to see, like Simon did and like she was starting to, that he wasn't about to go all psycho on them one day. So, she was going to continue with getting to know everything about him, including the good, the bad, and the potentially dark truths.

" 'Break' is a very exaggerated term," came his mumbled voice.

Chloe's fingers, white from being clenched too long on the edge of the table, relaxed. "What happened?"

"Just some guys looking for a fight with me and Simon. Things got out of hand?"

"_How_ out of hand?"

The breath that left his lips caused Chloe to finally look up at him. Those green, green eyes fixed on hers as he said, "He's still able to walk. It was just a fight. Us boys get into them all the time, over any stupid little thing. Yesterday, Simon punched me for eating the last of the Doritos."

Strain hanging in the air around them broke as Chloe's laughter rang out, picturing the image of friendly Simon trying to land a hit on his brother's larger bulk. Suddenly, Derek didn't seem quite as dangerous anymore. Maybe it was the way he looked her right in the eye and explained himself, or the fact his logic was sound and straight to the point, but Chloe could tell that when it came right down to it, Derek Souza told it like it was.

"_Just_ a fight. I'd have to have superhuman strength to do that kind of damage."

"So," she licked her lips, a relieved sigh escaping past them. "Guess you won't tell me if you used laser beams in that fight, will you?"

"New Girl, I said I wouldn't comment on that, so give up already."

This time, they chuckled in unison, Chloe's grin growing wider and wider. So, maybe he wasn't entirely a monster, and he was proving to be less and less dangerous by the minute. It seemed foolish now that she'd spent so much time trying to avoid him. Setting her elbows on the table, she rested her chin in her hands while staring at him. He copied her posture, green eyes staring right back. A smile played on his lips, and that's when Chloe _knew._ She almost had him figured out and told him so. "You're not as mean as you try to be, Derek. We could be friends, you know."

He blinked, not expecting the observation. Leaning back, he gestured in front of her. "You going to finish that thing or what?"

She saw his empty plate, then her barely eaten brownie, rolled her eyes and pushed the treat across the table. For now, that was as good as agreement.

* * *

"You got some guts."

"It didn't take guts, Rae," Chloe said, squeezing past a heavyset senior to get to her locker. Rae was already standing next to her, fist propped on a hip and staring down her friend with unbelieving eyes. "It didn't take anything. Unless you count the energy it took to walk down to the restaurant. Derek's easy to get along w-"

"Bull."

"All right, so he's not exactly the nicest of guys."

"Chloe, you've got to stop trying to sugar coat it. The guy's an a-"

"Fine, Rae!" She opened her locker so roughly it jerked out of her hands and crashed into the one next to it. The loud clang caused heads to turn in their direction. As if they weren't spying before. Chloe had been the subject of many a wandering eye ever since she had approached Derek and Simon that morning and chatted with them before the first bell rang. Like a new zombie virus had broken out among the students in the school, the news was spreading so quickly that everywhere she went, people were scrutinizing her with shaking heads. They couldn't believe it. That after Simon had walked off to his class, Chloe and Derek had stayed put and continued speaking. Or that Derek hadn't taken one look at Chloe and sent hr crying for the girls' restroom. "Derek's rude, short-tempered, and a bit on the impatient side, but he doesn't deserve all the bad things people say about him."

"Oh, like the throwing kittens out of car windows and stealing candy from babies? Because in my chem class the other day, someone _swore_ they saw him..." Chloe hoped the glare was enough to shut Rae up and make her listen to herself and those crazy stories. Instead, she might just have sent Rae into a fit of giggles. But Chloe wasn't giving up. She stared down her friend until the laughter subsided, and Rae saw she was being serious.

Rae was quiet for a moment, her breathing deep from trying to catch up from laughing, but now she was staring at Chloe, gaze critical. As if she could see just how serious Chloe was being, how she wasn't backing down and going along with Rae and the rumors. Something grabbed her attention over Chloe's shoulder and after a quick glance, she asked, "Are you trying to tell me, after spending _one whole afternoon_ in Derek's presence, that you learned underneath all those glares, he's actually not a bad guy?"

"Yes. That is _exactly_ what I'm saying, Rae. A-And I know you don't believe it because it doesn't seem possible—I'm not even sure if it is possible, and I might be imagining it all in my mind-"

"It really isn't. Possible. Or else your new best friend forever wouldn't be walking into the principal's office right now."

"_What?_" She followed Rae's pointing finger to see Derek being led into the office down the hallway, students making room for his walk of shame. Lyle High never had much discipline problems, its students being more the type to obey and not get into terrible mischief, despite the fact that is what normal high schoolers do. So, not many were seen entering Principal Davidoff's office. Ever. When such an event did happen, it was always a cause for a commotion, and it figured that the student in trouble must have done something really, really bad.

Chloe gathered the books she needed for the rest of her classes, then snatched Rae's arm to pull her over in the direction of the office Derek just entered. They met with other students surrounding the door, all talking in that hushed, hurried whisper that assured juicy gossip. Rae took it upon herself to tap on the shoulder of the blond girl in front of them and asked what had just happened.

"Derek Souza got into a fight." Her eyes shined with excitement, then surely glowed as they settled on Chloe. "Hi! You must be new here. I'm Liz."

She introduced herself, then saw as awareness crept into Liz's face, looking Chloe up and down as if she was really seeing her for the first time. "Oh...you're _that_ new girl."

And there it was. Liz was going to ask her about why she was talking with Derek that morning. Chloe didn't even understand anyone's fascination with the morning chat. It wasn't like they had been doing anything worth people getting excited about. Morning talk, just like every other student. She barely remembered the topic herself. Something about the movie she had watched the night before and how Derek had seen it, too, and enjoyed it. Then a sentence or two exchanged about their homework and the classes they had to hurry off to. Nothing that great, except maybe to Chloe herself, who was happy to be talking to Derek like she was his friend.

"The one that my friend Tori doesn't like."

"T-Tori?" The name surprised Chloe, having been expecting Derek's. And then she groaned. In her newfound determination to make nice with Derek, Chloe had completely forgotten the scene that had gone down in the cafeteria not too long ago.

Liz must have remembered the same incident, no doubt from hearing Tori's end of it, and placed her hand on Chloe's arm. "Tori's really nice, once you get to know her. I'm sure you guys would be friends if you just spent more time together." Chloe didn't think so, but the reassurances Liz was spouting seemed oddly familiar. It took her a moment to remember saying something along the same lines not a minute ago to Rae about Derek. It gave her second thoughts, thinking that maybe Liz was being truthful, maybe Tori wasn't really bad. Besides, she'd mistaken Derek already, so why not Tori, too? Then she pushed those thoughts away. What were the chances she wrongly judged two people? Slim. And she sure as hell wasn't misjudging the freezing look Tori had given her.

"Oh, you should hang out with us, go shopping soon. There was this green sweater I saw at the mall, but now that I think about it, it would look _perfect_ on you. Although your hair might clash with it. Not that the red streaks aren't cool. Totally edgy, you know? But it might make it seem like Christmas, but hmm...No, it just might work."

"Liz, cut to the chase!" Rae snapped her fingers in front of the girl, giving her a moment to catch her breath because Chloe was sure she hadn't taken a single one in all that yakking. "Who was Derek fighting with?"

"Some guy off the football team, I think," Liz said.

The bell signaling class was starting rang, and Rae cringed. She told them she'd talk to Chloe later and then goodbye, but not without a piercing look at her friend before heading off to class. Chloe tried to ignore Rae's insinuation that Derek was just a nasty, mean thug, but it unsettled her to know that she had no idea what was going on behind that office door, or what had happened to put him behind the door in the first place.

"-I guess it happened sometime after school yesterday. The guy had a huge bruise on his face where Derek punched him. Someone said he kicked him, though, not punched him. That out of nowhere, Derek pulled out a couple of ninja karate moves and knocked the guy out. He'll probably get a suspension. Who knows? Maybe even expulsion. Lyle High doesn't like students fighting." Chloe had the urge to check Liz for an Energizer battery compartment, but she shook it off. Liz seemed pleasant enough, and some people were more talkative than others. She knew that, but the more Liz went on and on about Derek getting kicked out...

"-everyone knew he was trouble from the start. I heard that not even juvie would take him after that fight happened at his last school. The one where he broke that kid's back? Scary, stuff, right?"

Chloe opened her mouth to reply, then stopped as a lightbulb lit in her brain. "Did you say it happened _after_ school?"

"Yeah, but the football guy saw Derek in the hallway and went crazy. Almost got into another fight right then and there."

"B-B-But it w-wasn't his fault!" Liz looked taken aback by the outburst, the second time that day, Chloe knew, that she had surprised someone by speaking out on Derek's behalf. All within the span of ten minutes. "Liam st-started it. We were in the gym and he was coming on to me-"

"You were _there_?"

"Of course."

"You have to tell me about it." Liz was bouncing on the balls of her feet, the prospect of more news to share too much for her to maintain standing still. She stopped bouncing and rolled her eyes with a whine. "But I have to get to counseling. Don't look so worried, it's nothing serious. Jeez, you throw one pencil at a teacher and they act like I threatened to blow up the whole school. They really don't like conflict here. It's not as if I'm crazy. Oh! An escapee from an insane asylum. Wouldn't that make the coolest costume?"

"It sure would be interesting." By this point, Chloe had tuned out most of Liz's talking, her eyes trained on the office door. Although the pencil-flying at the teacher comment had caused her to take a discreet step away. "But a costume for what?"

"The dance, Chloe! The Annual Lyle High Halloween Dance! Don't tell me you haven't heard about it yet. Tori and I were going together because I broke up with my boyfriend recently. You and Rae should come with us, too. We'll all meet at my house and get ready, then go to the dance from there."

"I don't think Rae or Tori would like that much."

"Just think about it, okay? It'll be _so_ much fun." She started her way to guidance counselor Dr. Gill's office, her hand waving excessively. "Gotta go now, but we'll talk about it later."

With that, Chloe was left standing alone in the hallway, everyone else beginning their next class. Her own class was a free study, but Chloe didn't think she would be able to concentrate on getting an early start on her homework. Not when Derek was _possibly_ being expelled for something he didn't purposefully do. It was very likely he wouldn't even mention that she had been involved as well, choosing to take the blame on himself because who would believe him otherwise? Simon was off in class somewhere, probably just hearing about the trouble his brother was in. He hadn't seen what happened the day before, either, so even if Simon was there, he wouldn't have been much help. Liam was an active member in school athletics and his rep would certainly look cleaner in comparison to Derek's. What Derek needed now was someone on his side. What he needed was a friend.

Chloe was his friend. He may not think so, may not even count what she was about to do as an act of friendship, but it was. She made a promise to herself about Derek, and she was going to keep it.

So, with a deep breath to brace her nerves, she reached forward and opened the office door.

* * *

"We're looking at serious consequences here, Mr. Souza. You punched another student. We have little tolerance for that kind of thing here at Lyle High." Davidoff could be called an intimidating man, with his height looming over everyone else, but not much intimidated Derek when all he could think about was punching Liam again. Just to get that annoying, self-satisfied grin of his ugly face. The principal should be thanking him, in his opinion. The black stretching along the football player's cheek sure made one hell of an improvement.

Davidoff sure wouldn't see it that way if Derek pointed it out, so he kept his mouth shut. As principal, the man tried hard to appear as buddy to all and enemy to none. Yet, the fact remained that he _was_ the principal and liked others to remember it, too. He liked his control over the students, Simon once told Derek, and he wasn't going to stand for a student telling him how to do his job.

Which was why Derek's role in that office was to sit and do nothing as Liam ratted him out as a bully who took advantage of innocent football players on their way to the locker room after practice. His story was riddled with faults, all of which Derek could have easily turned around on him. (What football player returns to the locker room without his team? What reason did Derek have to be in the gym, when he was known to walk home with Simon every single day before? Why didn't Liam run crying like a child to his coach after said fight?) Except Derek could see in Davidoff's eyes that he was in for some harsh punishment. Perhaps Davidoff had been waiting for this day to come. Sure, the man had been eager to include Derek in his ultra-smart-kid learning program after seeing the above average grades on his transcripts when they'd first transferred. A couple weeks into his time at Lyle High, Derek had only proven to be a giant terrorizing the rest of the masses with their overactive imaginations, and Davidoff had seen his chance to assert his position as top dog.

The principal had chosen his side in advance and nothing Derek said would change that. He might as well grab his bookbag and leave now, instead of hoping for someone to come save him like normal students would be doing right about then.

"I-It's n-n-not his fa-fault!"

Oh. Hell. And there was Chloe Saunders. Rushing through the door, ready to play superhero.

* * *

Authoress's Notes: I'm still alive. Unless you all decide to kill me...but please...don't do that. Major apology to all! Life, you know. It gets in the way of important things, like fanfiction. Luckily, I'm on summer break when life is finally winding down and giving me a break (meaning, it is impossible for me to find a summer job, so I have time to reread DP and refresh my mind). Now, I'm working on more DP stuff, and planning what I'm going to do with this story because the more I write it, the more new ideas for it jump out at me. This chapter was planned to be much longer than it was, but I think I'm going to start sticking to shorter chapters so I'm not working on one chapter forever.

My friend and I both dared each other to write something for a respective fandoms and post it at midnight, so it'd be a lovely little Friday gift to our readers. So, happy Friday to all. Enjoy it and your new chapter!

Thanks for reading, and reviewing, if you choose to do so!


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